ConcernedApe is bringing Stardew Valley's most infamous minigame to Haunted Chocolatier, and fans are already lining up to ask if fishing will be "as ridiculously hard"

Wake up, folks – solo Stardew Valley developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone has dropped a new Haunted Chocolatier screenshot and confirmed that the spooky shopkeeper sim does, in fact, feature fishing.

That's right. Whether you love the challenging fishing minigame in Stardew Valley like me or hate it (as many people understandably do), it might be making a return of sorts in Haunted Chocolatier. ConcernedApe confirms as much – or at least confirms that his new game will have a fishing system at all – in response to a fan's comment under the most recent screenshot he shared online of his upcoming sim.

The curious player asks ConcernedApe if we can "get a status report on a fishing mechanic" as "this is incredibly important for knowing if I want to play or not." As a Stardew Valley stan and virtual fishing aficionado myself, I get it – it's core to the cozy experience. Thankfully, as ConcernedApe writes, "there is fishing." While the commenting fan (and me, if I'm honest) shout "YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS," not everyone is excited.

One Stardew Valley player questions, "Fishing isn't gonna be as ridiculously hard as it is in Stardew, is it?" Their reply isn't all that surprising – after all, the 2016 farming sim's fishing minigame is notoriously difficult. There are countless threads highlighting fans' perception of the mechanic, with posts on Reddit declaring that "fishing is too hard" regardless of platform. That's not to say it'll function the same in Haunted Chocolatier, though.

There's no telling what fishing will look like in the new game – and that doesn't just include how it'll work. Fans want to know what it'll produce, too: "Now, are there SPECIAL fish for fishing in different batches of candy? Like a Swedish Fish, or a chocolate fish?" It's a solid question. Seeing as Haunted Chocolatier is all about running, well, a chocolatier, it would make sense for foraging and fishing to provide sweets-themed goodies.

Hopefully, there's not too long left until we can have a go at the fishing minigame ourselves. ConcernedApe couldn't previously say if Haunted Chocolatier will be out by 2030, but he did admit "that's the goal" and "it has to be better" than Stardew Valley.

Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe says the "world of Haunted Chocolatier" will somehow be even "larger" than his farming sim – the same one I already have over 1,000 hours in